|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
With time to go until the outcomes are finalized and certified, Election Night results from the Contra Costa County Elections Division point to strong support for current Councilmember Mark Armstrong as mayor and the Measure N sales tax, with the two candidates in the competitive race for the District 1 seat on the City Council still separated by a razor-thin margin.
Both City Council candidates – Robert Jweinat and Vasanth Shetty – expressed gratitude to their supporters and pointed to the lessons learned in their supporters as they and voters await the final outcome of that race, and as county election officials continue to work on counting ballots.
“These past few months have been an unforgettable experience,” Jweinat – who was in the lead by 88 points as of 1:09 a.m. Wednesday – told DanvilleSanRamon . “I’ve learned so much during my campaign for City Council, and it has reinforced my belief in the power of a grassroots approach.”
Jweinat added that he’d knocked on more than 2,000 doors over the course of his campaign and had enjoyed “meeting so many wonderful people who make our community special.”
“San Ramon truly is an amazing place, and I’m grateful every day to live here,” Jweinat said. “While I wish I could have met every resident in the District, I’m proud of the connections we’ve made and the shared vision for our city’s future. I’m thrilled to contribute to this thriving community, and I look forward to what lies ahead. Wishing everyone a Happy Veterans Day, with gratitude to those who have served.”
Shetty noted that the race is “exceptionally close” – with the less than 100-vote margin being one of the narrowest in all of the Tri-Valley races – and said he had been heartened by the experience of campaigning regardless of the final outcome.
“I’m grateful for the encouragement and backing from voters who share my vision for a vibrant, inclusive, forward-looking San Ramon,” Shetty said. “Every vote represents a voice in our community, and I look forward to seeing the final tally as all ballots are carefully counted.”
“No matter the outcome, I am deeply committed to continuing my work in San Ramon, supporting our residents, and advocating for our city’s progress and well-being,” he continued.
For the mayoral race, Armstrong had not yet declared victory despite having more than 70% of the vote as of Election Night and Kathrani had not yet officially conceded the race as of Thursday evening.
“I’m so thankful for the very strong vote of confidence from the voters of San Ramon. I’m looking forward to continuing to serve all our diverse residents,” Armstrong told DanvilleSanRamon Thursday evening. “My focus will continue to be doing what’s best for our great community. Local government is non-partisan and affects our daily lives so much more than state or federal government. I’ll encourage our city leaders and staff to stay focused on doing what’s best for our community. “
Kathrani said that despite the numbers not being in his favor so far, he was more motivated than ever in the wake of his first-ever political campaign, and already eying a run for the next cycle.
“Regardless of the outcome, I am more motivated now than ever, thanks to the strong team I built. Many of the volunteers in my campaign were senior executives who took time from their busy schedules to support me, for which I am deeply grateful,” Kathrani said. “With two years ahead, I look forward to building an even stronger team as I plan to run for mayor again.”
“The best part of this race was meeting thousands of new friends and engaging with many students,” he continued. “When interviewed by these students, I made it a point to inspire them and encourage leadership for the future. If even one of these students becomes a future leader, it will be a greater accomplishment than becoming mayor.”
Citizens for San Ramon, which functioned at the Yes campaign for Measure N, had declared victory as of Thursday and thanked their supporters, although its passage remains to be finalized in the weeks ahead. As of the most recent count early Wednesday morning, the one-cent sales tax measure had the support of 55.8% of voters.
“It’s encouraging that San Ramon voters weighed in and supported Measure N. That will be really helpful for the city to eventually restore some of the services and programs we had to scale back this year,” Armstrong said. “We had to make hard decisions and made big cuts in response to inflationary pressures that affected all of us. Our residents have come to expect, and deserve, the high quality of life we have been able to deliver and Measure N will help keep that up.Â
That’s another race in which Kathrani was not pleased with the initial outcome, but remained optimistic that the results could change as more ballots are counted.
“Regarding Measure N, I was the only leader who stood firmly against it,” Kathrani said. “I highlighted in multiple posts, including on my blog San Ramon’s Current State and How, that construction companies contributed up to $134K to the ‘Yes for Measure N’ committee, which speaks volumes.”
County elections officials said on social media Thursday that they were still processing a “high volume” of mail-in ballots that were put into drop-boxes on Election Day, with no estimate yet of how many ballots remain to be counted. The Election Night numbers account for 291,495 ballots so far, with the results of another 90,000 ballots set to be released Friday, they said.
